Cole eager for Reds challenge

21 July 2010 03:30

Liverpool midfielder Joe Cole is looking forward to the challenge of playing for his new club, insisting his move to Merseyside was decided purely on football terms.
Much was made of the wage demands - reportedly £90,000-a-week - the England international was making having become a free agent following his release from Chelsea.
And having previously played for West Ham he was expected to remain in London, with Arsenal and Tottenham both interested, but was convinced Anfield was the place to start afresh.
Cole said he remembered the atmosphere when he played at the ground for Chelsea in the Champions League semi-final of 2005, which Liverpool won on penalties before going on to lift the trophy in Istanbul, and was looking forward to experiencing that on a more regular basis.
"This is a massive club. I tried to take everything out of the equation, take the financial and location side out and just thought in football terms," said the England international, who has signed a four-year contract after passing his medical.
"I thought about the semi-final of the Champions League in 2005 when I ran onto the field and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I was thinking about playing in that atmosphere every week and that swung it for me."